UK: Fewer Kids Exposured to Secondhand Smoke at Homes

New study reveals that in the UK kids exposure to secondhand smoke was significantly reduced since 1998. The results of the study may be found in the scientific journal Addiction. In the new study the researchers found that in England, kid’s exposure to secondhand smoke has declined by around 80 percent since 1998. These are

University Reevaluates Campus Smoking Policy

Vice Provost for Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger has formed a committee to evaluate the smoking policy at the Homewood and Peabody campuses. The committee plans to either make the campuses smoke-free or to limit smoking to designated outdoor areas.

“We have heard loud and clear from students that they want us to examine this issue further – particularly with regard to the impact of secondhand smoke,” Shollenberger wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “It is standard practice throughout the United States for colleges and universities to ban smoking in buildings, including residence halls. Beyond that, a growing number of campuses have gone ‘smoke-free,’ banning smoking everywhere on campus. In fact, this past August, the School of Public Health began prohibiting all tobacco products in its facilities and vehicles and discouraging their use on all outdoor campus grounds.”

Shollenberger wrote that his committee will be drafting a report to be presented this summer to Robert C. Lieberman, the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Daniel Ennis, the senior vice president for finance and administration.

Barbara Schubert, the associate director for the Center for Health Education & Wellness (CHEW), and Fran Stillman, an associate professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, serve as committee co-chairs. The rest of the committee is composed of faculty and staff from Homewood and Peabody, a graduate student and senior Danae Johnson, the president of Hopkins Kicks Butts (HKB), a student-led anti-tobacco coalition.

HKB initiated the push for a smoke-free campus by approaching the SGA with a proposal in 2013. In response, the University conducted a survey to determine student opinions on smoking. According to Erin Yun, the deputy to the vice provost for student affairs, the survey showed that although most undergraduates approved of going smoke-free, most graduate students at Homewood opposed the idea.

Freshman Robert Lee, a smoker of Plai cigarettes online http://www.buycigarettes.eu/plai , said he doesn’t think the campus needs to be smoke-free. “Quite frankly, no one has to smoke, and no one has to stand beside me while I smoke,” Lee said. Freshman Holly Tice does not smoke but said she would oppose a ban.

“I think smoking’s bad in general, but I think people have a right to smoke outside,” Tice said. “It is a private university, and I think smokers should be able to smoke outside on campus.”

According to Yun, the University does not currently have a standard policy regarding outdoor smoking. “The policies that I’ve seen… [say] that there’s no smoking whatsoever in any University buildings,” Yun said. “The president, deans and/or directors may also designate, with appropriate signage, certain outdoor areas, especially entranceways, smoke-free.”

Schubert does not believe the University enforces policies about smoking in designated areas. “It’s certainly not consistent, I don’t think, across the board,” Schubert said. Yun said the committee will examine enforcement policies at other schools for reference.

“One of the things that we’ll be working on is benchmarking against other universities that have gone smoke-free to look at what types of enforcement mechanisms they have in place,” Yun said.

Hammond City Wants to Eliminate Smoking in Public Places

This week in the city of Hammond, Louisiana, are taking place public hearings on the proposal to prohibit smoking in public spaces and all workplaces. The proposal to adopt such a smoking ban came on April 7 and aims to protect people from effects of secondhand smoke. The proposal includes smoking ban in private cluns,

Virginia: Fines for Exposing Kids to Tobacco Smoke

An official in the state of Virginia wants to protect kids from tobacco smoke in vehicles and proposed to introduce a bill which would make it an illegal action. The talk is about Todd Pillion, who has filed House Bill 2171. The bill prohibits use of cigarettes in cars where kids under eight are present.

It may be time for a comprehensive indoor smoking ban

Arsenic. Benzene. Formaldehyde. Hydrogen Cyanide. Toluene. One ingredient is found in gasoline. Another is found in paint thinner. A third is used in embalming fluid. And all, along with at least 4,000 other chemicals, are found in tobacco smoke. Needless to say, the health effects of inhaling such toxins are many.

Most Americans also are well aware of the health risks to smokers. What is perhaps less well known are the many risks of secondhand smoke, or “passive smoking.” Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and lung cancer by 25 to 30 percent compared to those not exposed. An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and as many as 45,000 heart attack deaths per year, are attributed to secondhand smoke exposure.

Efforts have long been in place to curb passive smoking exposure. The 1994 Pro-Children Act prohibits smoking in federally-funded facilities providing services to children. And Healthy People 2020, a comprehensive nationwide health promotion program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, includes a goal of reducing tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.

Nationally, many bans on smoking in all indoor public places exist. In Lubbock, an effort is afoot to eliminate the exceptions that exist to a public indoor smoking ban. Establishments like bingo parlors and sports bars are currently exempted from the ban. While opinions vary on the proposed comprehensive ban, here are a few more facts to consider from a medical point of view:

Research confirms only truly comprehensive smoking bans (with no exemptions) are effective. In a broad sampling of communities where such bans went into effect, hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke dropped by 15 percent, while admissions for acute respiratory illnesses like bronchitis and asthma were reduced by 25 percent within one year of the legislation taking effect. In communities in which bans with exemptions were enacted, no significant drop in hospitalizations was seen.

Worries about adverse economic impact on businesses affected by such bans may be unfounded. Studies of the Texas communities of El Paso and Arlington showed no slowing of bar or restaurant business once comprehensive legislation was passed.

Smokers in Texas are against smoking ban because they say it breaks their rights and freedoms. Most popular brand of cigarettes in Texas is L&M.

Kent County Discusses Smoking Ban in Parks

In the Kent County, Michigan, there was proposed to ban smoking in all parks. At the moment the proposal is under the review of Council. According to Keith Mumford, the county’s parks and recreation director, the smoking ban is going to touch only 6 city parks including Browns Branch Park in Harrington, Brecknock Park in

Frisco Included E-cigarettes in Smoking Ban

Yesterday City Council in Frisco, Texas, voted 3-2 to expand its smoking ordinance in order to protect the health of its citizens. The ordinance bans not only use of regular cigarettes but also e-cigarettes in all city parks. However, the law would allow to use chewing tobacco, as the authorities did not build a consensus

End all smoking in casinos

Casino company executives and industry experts recently met to discuss issues such as rapid expansion and competition in the regional gaming market at the 18th annual East Coast Gaming Congress, held in Atlantic City. Unfortunately, one item left off the agenda was a public-health issue of great importance: the thousands of workers and patrons being exposed to secondhand smoke inside Pennsylvania and New Jersey casinos. The time has come to move toward smoke-free casinos to create a healthier environment for employees and patrons.

Workplace exposure to secondhand smoke at places like casinos remains a top preventable cause of rising health-care costs, chronic disease, and premature death. In January, the U.S. surgeon general issued a report adding stroke to a long list of health effects caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. Exposure for as little as 30 minutes causes immediate effects on blood and blood vessels that raise the risk of a heart attack. In 2006, the surgeon general reported that there is no known safe level of exposure, and the only known way to fully protect health is to have 100 percent smoke-free indoor air.

A recent journal article by a senior scientist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that casino workers employed where indoor smoking is permitted have a significantly higher risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and lung cancer - even when smoking is limited to certain casino areas or when high-tech ventilation is employed. With about 50,000 employees working at Atlantic City casinos and those across Pennsylvania, this is a significant workplace safety issue. If the dangerous health impacts of exposure are not compelling reason enough for casinos to be smokefree, casino companies and state decision makers should consider the disadvantages of allowing secondhand smoke in Pennsylvania and New Jersey casinos when it comes to their regional gaming competition. Most casino patrons do not smoke, just as 82 percent of the U.S. population does not.

Casino expansion is heating up as nearby states compete for the same pool of patrons. A recent Econsult report to the legislature, "The Current Condition and Future Viability of Casino Gaming in Pennsylvania," suggests that while the state's casinos have made gains "cannibalizing" patrons from New Jersey, Delaware, and West Virginia, they are open to this same risk of losing patrons to Ohio, Maryland, and New York, which all have smoke-free casinos.

Today cheapest cigarettes online at available in online cigarettes stores.

Residents Want to be Protected from Secondhand Smoke

Tuolumne County Public Health Department along with Calaveras Public Health Services revealed the results of a new survey which demonstrated that the majority of residents in multi-housing units do support the reduction of exposure to secondhand smoke. 59% of Tuolumne County and 64% of Calaveras County residents favored smoking bans in outdoor common areas of

Secondhand Smoke and Pregnancy

Every time, a pregnant woman is exposed to smoking, her foetus is precariously exposed to meet with intra-uterine deaths, say experts. The pulmonologists testify that in a state like Kerala where the prevalence rate of smoking is high, such premature deaths will definitely be a recurring phenomenon.

“Around 1.5 lakh people die of passive smoking in the country. Hence, it will not be wrong to presume that intra-uterine deaths are happening in the state which has topped the country with high prevalence smoking rate than the national average,” said Dr Babu John Mathew, consultant general physician, Medical Trust Hospital.

Intra-uterine deaths usually happen when the mother is an excessive smoker. “But here, the scenario is different. Here, the prevalence of smoking in women is not as high as it is in other parts of the country. But if the child’s father is an active smoker, it is beyond doubt that the mother will be highly exposed to smoking,” he pointed out.

Dr Praveen Valsalan, secretary, Cochin Thoracic Society, pointed out that, when the world scenario is taken into account, almost half of the children regularly breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke in public places. “Over 40 per cent of children have at least one smoking parent and active smoking causes more than 6,00,000 premature deaths a year.

The scenario will not be much different in the state which is known for smoking. The curse of our state is that an in-depth study has not been initiated here so far,” he said. The medical literature states that intra-uterine foetal demise can happen due to smoking, said Dr Sheila Scaria, a gynaecologist based in Kochi . “Though we cannot identify such incidents easily, the chances of premature deaths in babies are high due to both active and passive smoking. The scenario will not be different in any part of the world which is exposed to smoking,” she said.

Asked if such deaths have been reported in any parts of the state, they said: “It is not easy to identify such deaths which is a major hurdle. No research or studies have been undertaken in this regard so far. Besides, it is a long-winding procedure. If any such death happens, the whole family history will have to be traced,” said Dr Babu John. He added that while most of the smokers are honest about smoking in Western countries, Keralites try to cover it up when it comes to initiating any study in this regard.

Alaska to Expand Smoke-Free Workplace Laws

Last week supporters of Smoke-Free Indoor Workplace bill in Alaska told that it’s time to make smoke-free laws work in the entire state of Alaska. At the beginning of the week the proposed smoke-free law got a hearing with the Senate State Affairs Committee at the Capitol in Juneau. If the law gets approved, it

How to Protect Your Family from Tobacco Smoke

You probably heard about Smokey and the Bandit, Smokey Robinson, Smokey Bear. Those smoky personages were popular few decades ago but even today may be observed their impact on pop culture. Same thing is with second- and thirdhand smoke. Recently researchers found that even in case a woman never smoked cigarettes, her lifetime exposure to

Children Exposed to Second-Hand Smoke at Higher Risk of Tooth Decay

David Leader, D.M.D., M.P.H. of Tufts University is available to explain the possible relationship between second-hand smoke and an increased risk of cavities among children who still have their primary “baby” teeth. Leader’s critical summary of a review study on the subject appears in the February 2014 issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).

According to Healthy People 2020, approximately 33 percent of children between the ages of three and five years old, and nearly 55% of children ages six to nine, experienced cavities in at least one baby tooth from 1999 to 2004.

A clinical associate professor in the Department of Diagnosis and Health Promotion at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Leader is an expert in evidence-based oral health, scleroderma, and dental public health. He is also a member of the Perinatal Oral Health Task Force of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an evidence-based reviewer for the American Dental Association.

Most Children from Rural Areas Exposed to Secondhand Smoke

Researchers from University of Kentucky say that secondhand smoke is main cause of a number of diseases in children, especially in rural areas, According to one of authors of the research Ellen Hahn, who is a professor at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and director of the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy, told

Children more exposed to secondhand smoke in U.S. rural areas

Secondhand smoke is the leading cause of childhood illness and premature death, especially in rural areas, University of Kentucky researchers say. Study co-author Ellen Hahn, a professor at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and director of the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy, said elimination of the source of tobacco smoke is the only way to completely protect non-smokers, including children, from secondhand smoke.

Hahn said the study used data from an Internet-based panel survey administered to 400 to 500 Kentucky residents per year from 2007 to 2012. Most of the participants were women ages 35 to 54 with at least some college education. Almost half of the participants lived in a county with a comprehensive smoke-free law -- all workplaces and public places totally smoke-free -- and 14 percent of the participants lived in a county with a moderate or weak law, with some places excluded from the law.

The study, published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research Journal, found respondents living in urban counties were nearly two times more likely to report a smoke-free home than rural dwellers. Controlling for smoking status and other personal characteristics, those who responded to the survey in the last two years of the study were more likely to have a smoke-free home compared to those in 2007, the study said.

"The good news is that more and more Kentuckians have made their homes smoke-free since 2007," Hahn said in a statement.

"The bad news is that having children at home does not necessarily mean the home is smoke-free. Our local health departments are in desperate need of funding to promote smoke-free homes especially in rural areas, with smokers, and those with less education. Otherwise, the next generation of Kentuckians is doomed to a life of early death and disease."

50 years later, fewer smokers in Kentucky

Half a century after the U.S. surgeon general’s historic report outlining the deadly health dangers of smoking, fewer Kentuckians smoke, but the state remains at the top of the list nationally for the number of smokers. Currently 27 percent of adults in Kentucky smoke, said Amy Jeffers, director of Pathways Regional Prevention Center and manager of the Kentucky Tobacco Prevention Enhancement site.

Nationally, 18 percent of adults smoke, according to the 2014 report, which was released Friday. That is dramatically down from the 42 percent of adults who smoked in 1964, when the first report was issued, Jeffers said. Deaths attributable to smoking also have decreased since the first report, she said. The most current statistics show 7,800 adults die in Kentucky from smoking-related illnesses each year.

The outlook for children is sobering: about 107,000 children alive today will die prematurely if current rates continue, she said. However, that figure has decreased. When Jeffers first began monitoring the statistic 13 years ago, it was 115,000. With above-average cancer rates, Kentucky could see a dramatic reduction in cancer deaths if everyone in the state stopped smoking: 90 percent of lung cancer cases are related to smoking. “If we could eliminate smoking, we could almost eliminate lung cancer,” she said.

Another significant issue in Kentucky is second-hand smoke, especially exposure by children in the home. It leads to more cases of asthma and middle-ear infections, among others. Among the consequences are children missing more days of school. Smoking has even been linked to cavities. “There is no part of the body that is not impacted,” Jeffers said.

Findings in the report indicate that, while fewer people are smoking, there are more dangers from smoking than was believed half a century ago. In fact, the cigarettes they puff on may be more dangerous than the butts in 1964.

The typical cigarette contains more than 7,000 chemicals, some 70 of which are carcinogenic. Some cigarettes today are more addictive because chemical additives convey the nicotine to the brain quicker. One of every three deaths could be smoke-related, the report indicates, and nearly all lung cancer is related to smoking.

Total smoking bans effectively help smokers quit

To protect nonsmokers, many cities have banned smoking in public places, but a recent study shows that total smoking bans - in the home or public places - help smokers to cut back or quit completely.

The researchers, from the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, published their results in the journal Preventive Medicine. Dr. Wael K. Al-Delaimy, from UCSD and study author, says that California was the very first state to ban public smoking in certain places in 1994.

According to the County of San Diego, California state law prohibits smoking within 20 feet of entrances, exits and windows of public buildings. And regarding private buildings and residences, many management companies put policies in place that prohibit smoking at their facilities. Many cities have also enacted smoking bans in recent years.

The city of Beverly Hills, for example, initiated smoking restrictions in outdoor dining areas in 2007 - deemed the "90210 Fresh Air Dining" ordinance. A year after it was put in place, the city reported positive feedback.

According to Smoke-Free San Diego, over 440,000 people in the US die each year from tobacco-related diseases, making it the leading cause of preventable death. Along with causing cancer and cardiovascular disease, smoking creates increased risks for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth and low birth weights.

Though the negative effects of first- and second-hand smoke have been widely reported, the issue of third-hand smoke has recently become a hot topic.

Third-hand smoke encompasses everything left after a cigarette is put out, including toxic particulates that stick to hair, clothing, cars and carpets, among other surfaces.

Quit Smoking in 2014

Quitting smoking is a most popular New Year’s Resolution. Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to the body so every year more and more smokers promise to and successfully quit the habit. Secondhand smoke can cause allergic reactions and asthma in some people and stop healthy development of lungs in kids. Therefore, smokers should not

Alabama last SEC school without campus smoking ban

With The University of Alabama standing as the last SEC school without a smoking ban on campus, UA students are stepping up to voice their opinions on the matter. “The UA administration is evaluating a campuswide ban on smoking, based on input from constituents across campus,” Cathy Andreen, director of UA media relations, said.

For the past two years, UA students in the Student Government Association, Student Health Center groups and Smokefree UA have discussed their readiness to become a smoke-free campus and join the 1,178 campuses that have already passed a smoking or tobacco ban.

“SGA is not opposed to a smoke-free campus and would support any University policy that our student body feels might enhance their experience here,” Leela Foley, director of SGA media relations, said.

This year is the first time a petition for a smoke-free campus is being offered by the Tobacco Strategic Health Team, SHC Department of Health and Project Health. This gives students a voice to promote smoke-free awareness and support. Andreen said the current policy prohibits smoking in all campus buildings as well as 30 feet from building entrances.

“There are 45 million smokers in America, but 125 million people are impacted by secondhand smoke,” said Delynne Wilcox, assistant director of the the department of health promotion and wellness at the SHC. “Smoking is not one of those things that [is] limited to only the health risks of the smoker. It impacts people around them.”

The American Cancer Society created the Great American Smokeout in the 1970s to bring awareness to health complications related to smoking and tobacco use. Every year on the third Thursday of November, participating organizations hold events to connect people with various resources to encourage them to quit smoking.

Wilcox said the University has participated in the Great American Smokeout for more than 13 years. Project Health had a table in the Ferguson Center Nov. 21 to promote the national event and to offer the petition for students to sign.

“Ideally, it would be great if we had a smoke-free campus because it would be another environmental support for students on why not to smoke,” Wilcox said. “It would decrease the secondhand smoke complications as well.”

However, not all students on campus feel like smoking poses a threat to students on campus. “It doesn’t feel fair to tell people who smoke on the way to class that they can’t, but if everyone could be more courteous where they do it, then a lot of people would stop complaining,” Anna Neff, a sophomore majoring in advertising, said.

Will Smoking be Banned in Single-Family Homes?

Jesse Arreguin, the Councilman of Berkeley City, proposed to prohibit smoking in single-family homes. In her turn, Susan Wengraf, the Councilwoman, was appalled as she supports the proposal to prohibit smoking in multiunit homes. The major aim is to protect people living in multiunit buildings from secondhand smoke that is considered to have negative effects